Speculative Fiction Author

Main menu

Post navigation

Review of J. Lawrence’s Inborn

Book Blub: The Code Sings. The Caller has Returned. The Blood of Ontar Will Rise Again.

Every action has consequences. Some change everything for the good. Others can get you killed. The worst kind can get people you love killed instead.

Thaniel never meant to hurt anyone. But he wasn’t the type to do nothing while the innocent got hurt. So when he saw the terror in his girl’s eyes and a soldier chasing her, he couldn’t just stand there.

Thaniel wasn’t looking for enemies. As a slave, he wasn’t trying to attract the attention of the Ontar either. He definitely never meant to awaken any kind of lurking Inborn magic. Especially not the kind that can be used to Call monsters down out of the sky.

But he did…

As the whirlwind of consequence gains intensity and the people he loves the most are swept into the tumult, it’s up to Thaniel to find a way to save his loved ones. Join Thaniel and friends as he discovers that monsters are not just born…

Sometimes, they are Inborn.

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: Five Stars – Highly Recommended

Similar Authors: Brent Weeks, Trudi Canavan

Review: The book blurb sold me on this book immediately, and I am so happy that I picked up a copy for my kindle. The characters are endearing and brave. The plot line is fantastic, and I’ve already picked up the sequel. I have to know what happens!

There are several points of view in this book and each one has a unique voice. There are characters that I adored, characters that I abhorred, and characters that I hope to get to know better in the next book. The central character, Thaniel, is your textbook good guy. You root for him pretty much from the moment you start into his point of view. His friends show you so much more about the character than just his thoughts and actions, which is always something I love in books. Thaniel’s love interest, Elycia, is a complicated character, but one that won me over in the end. There are several delightfully written strong female characters in this book, and Elycia is definitely one of them. The interplay between an older mage character and his guard is just incredible. J. Lawrence writes friendship very well, so well, in fact, that there of moments of heartbreak in this story that will catch you by surprise.

The plot is a bit of a curve ball, which is nice. The inborn ability in the main character appears in a moment of crisis as it often does in these coming of age sort of fantasy tales, but the way that it appears is unique. There are multiple factions of power involved in the action, and while I’m pretty sure which one is “good” there is still room for me to be wrong. I love it when I’m really not sure what will happen next. The magic system is well explained and fascinating, as well.

This is definitely a book that I will be recommending to fellow fantasy readers! And now, I’ve got to start reading the next one!